Fire that wiped out six homes in East Kilbride could have taken more

Drone footage reveals the scale of the damage

In Whitelee, a quiet cul-de-sac in East Kilbride, many residents have known their neighbour for not just years, but decades.

It's a community where memories have been made and families have raised children.

On Friday afternoon, a fire destroyed six adjoining houses in the area. People escaped without injury but were nevertheless "devastated" by the loss.

It is understood the fire started one of the middle properties around 16:00, and quickly spread.

Concerns have been raised that cuts to the fire service caused a longer than usual response time.

Jim Barr said his neighbour "lost everything" in the fire

Jim Barr lives directly next to the houses that have been burned down. He said the fire could have "very easily" spread to his property.

He told BBC Scotland News: "We're only 6ft (1.8m) away so if the wind had changed direction it would then have taken another five houses out.

"We came back on Saturday morning to get a few bits and pieces and they were still hosing the end house. It really was a massive blaze.

"It could've quite easily have been myself that was involved."

He said his neighbour of 40 years "has lost everything". He added: "That's their entire life gone. All their memories, they're left with absolutely nothing."

Mr Barr said low water pressure added to the issues faced by fire crews, meaning they had to divert water from a nearby stream to tackle the flames.

Moira Douglas said immediate help wasn't always available

Moira Douglas has lived in Whitelee for 29 years. She said the close-knit community has been hit hard.

"We've all been here for a long time. The house at the end has just not long been sold and they people haven't even moved in yet and now they have to find a new home. It's a shame," she said.

"The people at the end have been here the whole time I've been here, they brought their kids up here and now they've got to find somewhere else."

Responding to reports of a delayed response time, Ms Douglas continued: "They had to come from Clarkston, and that's further away.

"The further away you are the longer it takes, the more time for the houses to go on fire.

"It always concerns anyone when you can't get immediate help, but with the best will in the world immediate help isn't always available."

Val Lundy said she thought she was saying goodbye to her home when she was evacuated.

She said: "We could see smoke coming out through the roof, and the next roof as well. The roof started to collapse and the fire was coming up through it.

"Not long after that we got evacuated as well, we were told to leave as quickly as possible."

Ms Lundy only moved into the area two months ago and was worried she was going to lose everything.

'Every minute counts'

She continued: "When I got evacuated I was quite upset because I didn't think I was going to see my house again.

"I only moved in in August, and it's such a lovely wee place. I thought this is going to go and everything with it.

"The firemen were here very quickly as well but they were scuppered with the wind and the water pressure."

She said the fire crews worked hard and she is thankful to them for saving her home - but recognises that in a situation like this "every minute counts".

Firefighters worked through the night to extinguish the flames

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said Whitelee's local fire station was empty because its two appliances and crews were in Edinburgh for training.

Normally other stations would provide cover but they were hampered because appliances had been removed, the union claimed.

Seona Hart from the FBU said response times were "creeping up" around the country due to cuts.

She told BBC Scotland News: "We've seen response times average seven minutes in 2016, increase to eight minutes now.

"Every second counts when you are in a fire. That one minute can feel like an eternity when you are trying to keep someone safe in their property until our crews arrive at that fire."

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said two appliances were mobilised to the Whitelee area, followed by two further fire engines and a high reach appliance.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Stephen Wright said: "We will always attend every emergency and will always mobilise the nearest available appliance to an incident using our standard mobilisation practices.

"There were no reported casualties involved and our crews worked tirelessly to bring this incident to a safe conclusion."